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On May 26, police officers
served "show cause" notices on
100 shacks built on King s
Wharf, notifying their inhabi-
tants of the San Fernando City
Corporation s intent to demolish
the structures.
The response was both imme-
diate and predictable. Residents
of the shacks burned tyres in
protest and announced that they
were not moving.
On Friday, many residents had
responded more formally to the
corporation, arguing their needs.
It s only the latest round of
efforts by the San Fernando City
Corporation to deal with the
long-standing shanty of houses
and fishermen s structures at
the wharf that it needs to move
to rehabilitate that part of the
city.
It s not the first time that the
squatters have faced a challenge
from the City Corporation. For-
mer mayor Gerard Ferreira relo-
cated some during his time in
office, but some remained, and
new squatters have since moved
in.This time, however, the show-
down is not simply about elimi-
nating the presence of an eye-
sore and known haven for
criminal activity.
The San Fernando City Cor-
poration is moving to implement
the first phase of its long over-
due San Fernando Waterfront
Beautification Project, which will
bring a boardwalk, restaurant
and other enhancements to the
area.
This will be an important
change to the waterfront, a long
neglected space that has the
potential to open the perception
of congestion in San Fernando s
heavily-built and well-patron-
ised city centre.
The potential crime threat at
the existing waterfront slum was
made clear during the State of
Emergency of 2011 when a raid
turned up drugs and firearms.
Clearly, King s Wharf has long
been overdue for rethinking,
rehabilitation and reconstruc-
tion, but those plans, three
decades in the making, must
acknowledge the evolution of
the space and its current use as
well as the corporation s plans
for its future.
Any serious effort to rehabili-
tate a part of San Fernando
that s as expansive as well as
potentially important to the city
as its coastal frontline must con-
sider what those who live and
work in the space want while
creating an aspirational architec-
ture for its future growth.
At least part of that design
planning must acknowledge the
historical importance of fishing
at King s Wharf. The fishermen
who responded to the notices
pleaded to be included in the
future of the development.
Port-of-Spain s waterfront,
which was once primarily
focused on shipping, now incor-
porates upscale hotels as well as
public walk spaces that have
been enthusiastically embraced
by the public. While there
remain concerns about the con-
struction of the Port-of-Spain
waterfront project, primarily
unanswered financial and pro-
curement matters, there is
example in the impact of that
refurbishment to guide the
thinking on the San Fernando
rehabilitation.
The San Fernando City Cor-
poration should review the
responses to its notices carefully.
Many of them will be requests
for relocation, but among them
will be the collective wisdom of
people who have lived in that
space and understand its char-
acter.
What s needed at King s
Wharf is not a replication of
Port-of-Spain s waterfront, but
something that reflects the char-
acter and history of that unique
space. The planning for the San
Fernando Waterfront Project
must both meet the city s prac-
tical needs while accepting the
challenge to inspire relaxation
and reflection.
Consider residents' views on King's Wharf project
What's needed at King's Wharf is not a replication of Port-of-Spain's waterfront,
but something that reflects the character and history of that unique space. The plan-
ning for the San Fernando Waterfront Project must both meet the city's practical
needs while accepting the challenge to inspire relaxation and reflection.
A product of Guardian Media Ltd
Contact us
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judy.raymond@guardian.co.tt
Editor, Irving Ward
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Chief Editor---Business, Anthony Wilson
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France's first gay wedding was
celebrated last Wednesday in
Montpellier, and chances are the
ceremony was held under police
surveillance as unrest persists more than
a week after the passing of the country's
same-sex marriage law...
Why did gay marriage meet such
resistance in France, when the same law
was passed with little opposition in other
liberal democracies---even in traditionally
Catholic societies such as Spain, Portugal
and Quebec?
France is distinct. Despite its image as
a country of free-thinkers and libertines
(which it is, in part), France remains a
conservative country where family links
are extremely strong.
The family Sunday lunch is a sacred
ritual and it's not uncommon to see three
generations vacationing together.
Most French middle-class couples get
married as soon as they're having their
first child. Moreover, France is a nation of
born debaters, with an unusually high
proportion of writers and public
intellectuals. Every idea that appears in
the public sphere is discussed and
written about at length; this is what
makes French intellectual life so vibrant.
So there was a real and profound French
debate about same-sex marriage and its
consequence for society, with both
camps expressing forceful, well-argued
opinions.
Last January, in the front lines of the
first march against same-sex marriage,
there were politicians who cannot be
suspected of right-wing sympathies---
notably Simone Veil, to whom France
owes its legislation allowing abortion,
and former Socialist prime minister
Lionel Jospin and his wife Sylviane
Agacinski, a left-wing philosopher and
ethicist.
On the other hand, Marine Le Pen,
leader of the far-right Front national, as
well as prominent figures from the
moderate right, such as former prime
ministers Alain Juppé and François Fillion,
refused to side with the opponents of
same-sex marriage. ---Globe and Mail
SOUND-OFF: C'est complique
A22
MONDAY,
JUNE 3,
2013
• Twitter: @GuardianTT • Web: guardian.co.tt